Dennis Parrish Stewarts Point Rancheria of Kashaya Pomo Induction Category: Year Inducted Builder 2024 <Back In 2005 Dennis Parrish saw a Carlisle Indian School football photograph of the 1908 team. He immediately knew who Jim Thorpe was but did not know who the other players were. So, he started collecting digital copies of all the teams and players whenever possible. Over a period of time he collected hundreds of photographs. He then put in the hours and effort to identify the people in the photographs. He perused over half a million pages of newspapers to pin down who was who in the photographs. He decided to use Facebook as a platform and a means to further identity the players by contacting their descendants. With their help he was able to identify most of the players in every photograph. Parrish spent thousands of hours collecting the information for the biographies of the players. His plan was always to flood the internet with information about the accomplishments of the players. A goal would be to encourage feature movies to highlight the popularity of the players and to feature their plights and struggles of their lives. No one should ever forget the lives that shined there and that were lost at Carlisle. You may connect with Parrish’s Facebook public group page titled Carlisle Indian School Football Immortals.

Cherokee Officials Jerod Phillips Cherokee Gary Hull Inupiaq Danny McCourt Algonquin/Iroquois Brian Chrupalo Pine Creek Frist Nation 282 Michael Thomas St. Croix Ojibwe

Mark D. Williams <Back Choctaw Induction Category: Media Year Inducted 2023 Mark D. Williams is an award-winning Choctaw filmmaker from Shawnee, Oklahoma. Having never been to film school, Mark was self-taught using friends and family for his first few projects. His first short film premiered at the Red Fork Film Festival in Tulsa in 2006. He would go on to write and direct more short films until 2012 when he made his first feature length film, “The Unrest” (winner of the BEST FILM award at the Mvskoke Film Festival). In 2016, his second feature film, “Violet”, won 12 awards in the US and overseas with 29 award nominations overall. In 2016, he began focusing on Native American sport and athletes’s stories with his first documentary titled “Beans” (Best Documentary at the Fort Worth Indie Film Showcase). It was followed by another award-winning boxing documentary titled, “Shiloh” which can be found on Amazon Prime. He followed up Shiloh with another boxing film, “Knifechief”. In 2020, his short film, “Warrior Coach”, won 2 awards (Bare Bones International Film Festival and Best Director at LA Skins Fest). Mark’s first feature length sports documentary, “Tvshka Nowvt Aya”, covered Oklahoma Choctaw stickball and won Best Film in 2018 at the NatiVisions Film Festival in Arizona. His second documentary with the Choctaw Nation, “Ikhaiyana la chi” (I Will Remember) won three awards (NatiVisions Film Festival, LA Skins Fest, Will Rogers International Film Festival). Mark’s latest film, “The Journey of Tiak Hikiya Ohoyo”, a sports documentary about Mississippi Choctaw Stickball was released in August 2022 in Film Festivals having won Best Feature Documentary (Fort Smith International Film Festival) and Best Feature Film (Indigenous Film Festival). He is currently writing his next script and researching more cultural projects to give the Native people an authentic voice. Photo Credits: Wasey Lamar and Delaney Pennock

Cuyler Frank <Back Navajo Induction Category: Media Year Inducted 2026 Cuyler Frank is from Blackhouse Valley, NM, a small community on the Navajo Nation where he grew up and attended School at Newcomb, NM. Cuyler’s first language is the Navajo Language, and he is also a first-generation college student. He has been very influential in radio broadcasting at the Tribal Colleges and University (TCU) levels and specifically at Dine College and Navajo Technical University. Cuyler graduated with his undergraduate degree in Communication Studies in 2006, then earned his graduate degree in 2010. On September 23, 2005, at New Mexico State University he broadcasted his first ever NCAA D1 college football game in the Navajo language when the Aggies faced a nationally ranked Cal Golden Bears. This was Cuyler’s calling into the broadcast industry and found his place as a sportscaster in the Navajo language. After nine seasons as the Navajo language play caller he moved home and became a Public Relations Officer for Dine College and was part of a team that re-established the radio station. At Dine College he was instrumental in re-establishing its low power FM radio station KXWR and currently is the General Manager at NTU’s KCZY radio in Crownpoint, NM. At KCZY radio station he broadcasts local high school football and basketball as well as the university’s basketball games. The university launched their basketball for men and women basketball in 2022 and compete in the region with the United States Collegiate Athletic Association. Not only does Cuyler broadcast for the teams he has also extended his skills into rodeo where he also was the first Navajo language broadcaster at the 2023 and 2024 College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, WY. Cuyler continues to broadcast the New Mexico rivalry basketball and football games annually. He also broadcasts the annual New Mexico Bowl, a college bowl game that hosts two college football games in Albuquerque, NM. His notable broadcasts are the high school state football and basketball games.

< Back George Armstrong George Armstrong Algonquin (Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg) Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete/Coach 2023 George Armstrong is known as one of the first Indigenous trailblazers in the NHL. He played 21 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs between 1949 and 1971 and captained the team to 4 Stanley Cup championships in 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1967. George played more seasons, more regular season games, and captained the Maple Leafs longer than any other player in the club’s history. He was called by Conn Smythe "the best captain, as a captain, the Leafs have ever had." Born in Bowlands Bay, Ontario, on the shores of Lake Wanapitei, George grew up in a small northern mining community. In the winters, he practiced his skating and hockey skills when lakes froze over, in the summers he enjoyed swimming and hunting in the bush. His mother, a strong Algonquin woman, raised George to be proud of his heritage. After his time with the Copper Cliff Jr. Redman, George played for the Stratford Kroehlers in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA), where he won the Red Tilson Trophy as OHA’s Most Valuable Player and the Eddie Powers Trophy as the league’s Top Scorer in 1947-1948. In 1950, Armstrong won the Allan Cup with the Toronto Sr. Malboros. While visiting the Stoney Indian Reserve in Alberta during the Allan Cup finals, the band presented him with a headdress and gave him the name “Big Chief Shoot-the-Puck” in honour of his Indigenous heritage. The nickname “the Chief” stuck with him throughout the rest of his career. After his retirement in 1971, George coached the Toronto Marlboros to two Memorial Cup championships in 1972-1973 and 1974-1975. In 1975, George was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. His jersey was retired by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016. George ranks among the top all-time scorers in Maple Leafs history with 713 points in 1,188 regular season games. <Back

< Back Neilson Powless Neilson Powless Oneida Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2022 Neilson Powless burst onto the United States road racing scene as a 19-year-old and found instant success, finishing ninth overall at the 2016 Amgen Tour of California and winning a stage at the Tour de l’Avenir. Those results shot him to the World Tour where his adaptability accelerated his learning curve. His sporting family laid the foundation for his future professional success. His mom ran the marathon in the 1992 Olympics. His dad was in the Air Force and raced Ironman’s, winning an award for being the top Ironman finisher who was also in the military. His sister, Shayna is also a professional cyclist who has raced for the US National Team. Family time in the Powless household was spent outdoors: swimming in the lake, running, and riding bikes on the trails in Northern California. Before pursuing cycling, Powless won both XTERRA National and World Championships in 2012. Since entering the World Tour, with most notable results including: Winner of 2021 Klasikoa Donostia San Sebastián and the first time an American has won a World Tour one day race in over a decade, and; 5th place in 2021 Pro World Championships and the best result for an American in over two decades. Competed twice in the Tour de France and first ever North American Native to compete in the Tour de France. Neilson Powless became a professional cyclist in 2018 after stand out performances in the Tour of California, Tour de L’Avenir, and World Championships for U23 cyclists. Since joining the ranks of World Tour professionals. Neilson has most notably led Polka Dot jersey competition as the best climber in the Tour de France for a record 13 days as an American. Neilson has also won professional races across the globe from Europe to Asia. Some of which include the Klasikoa San Sebastián, Japan Cup, Étoile de Bessèges, and the Grand Prix de Marseilles. After finding a niche for himself in 1 day races, Powless now has his eyes set on the prestigious “Monuments” in cycling. In 2023, Powless finished 5th in the cobblestone monument, Ronde Van Vlaanderen. Since then his dream has been to become the first American to win the Ronde Van Vlaanderen. Photo: Getty Images Photo: Getty Images <Back

< Back Drew Bucktooth Drew Bucktooth Onondaga Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2022 Drew Bucktooth is a lacrosse and hockey player from the Onondaga Nation in upstate NY. As a member of the Syracuse Stars hockey team he played against the highest level and won back to back state championships, a national championship and a world championship and was MVP of the world championship game. As a 16 year old, Drew was selected for the United States National team but was drafted and played in the OHL instead but still played for Team USA in international competitions and was named the team captain. In lacrosse, the first goal Drew ever scored was on his own goalie, but he made sure to do it correctly after that. As an eighth grader Drew led the varsity lacrosse team in scoring, as a ninth grader he led his league in scoring. As a 10th grader Drew once again led his team in scoring and earned All American, one of only two lacrosse players in NY state history to earn the tile of All American as a 10th grader. When Drew was 15 he competed with the Iroquois Nationals in the U19 world lacrosse championships in Japan, although Drew was the youngest player there, he led the tournament in scoring and was named to the All World Team. A few years later the Lacrosse World Championships were held in Australia, and again Drew was named to the All World Team and has the distinction as the only person in history to make the U19 All World Team twice. As a member of the Onondaga RedHawks, his team captured the Presidents cup twice, which is the Canadian National box lacrosse championship. These days Drew can still be found in and out of hockey rinks and lacrosse fields coaching his four sons, Blake, Gavin, Dylan and Cruze. <Back

< Back Phyllis Bomberry Phyllis Bomberry Cayuga Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2024 Phyllis Bomberry was a former Canadian softball player who was born in 1942 at the Six Nations of the Grand River in southwestern Ontario. She was a Cayuga woman of the Wolf Clan and emerged as a star athlete in the 1950s. She played women’s intermediate softball with the Ohsweken Mohawks and helped the team win back-to-back provincial Intermediate B championships in 1960 and 1961. After moving to Toronto to complete high school, she was quickly recruited to play catcher for the Carpetland Senior A Team in the Ontario Senior Women’s League. She helped the Carpetland team win Canadian Softball Championships in 1967 and 1968, and was named Top Batter, All-Star Catcher, and most valuable player (MVP) in 1967, and All-Star Catcher again in 1968. In 1968, Phyllis became the first female recipient of the Tom Longboat Award, established in 1951 to recognize outstanding Indigenous athletes in Canada. She won a gold medal at the first Canada Summer Games in 1969 and she was named the Canadian MVP and All Star Catcher. Phyllis Bomberry was posthumously inducted into 2023 Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in the Athlete category. <Back

< Back Phil Fontaine Phil Fontaine Sagkeeng Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2026 Phil Fontaine was born at Sagkeeng (formerly Fort Alexander) in Manitoba, where his first language was Ojibway (Anishinaabemowin). At the age of six, Phil and his siblings were forcibly removed from their family home and required to attend Fort Alexander Residential School, in accordance with Canadian government policy of the time. While at Fort Alexander Residential School, Phil learned to skate and began playing hockey with the Fort Alexander Braves. He played with the team until age fourteen, when he was transferred to Assiniboia Residential School in Winnipeg. Known as an exceptional and fast skater, Phil was selected to the Winnipeg City All-Star Team, playing for the Southern Division for two consecutive seasons. He was later invited to try out for the Fort Frances Royals of the Canadian Junior Hockey League and played with the team briefly. Alongside his athletic pursuits, Phil earned his high school diploma and later graduated with a university degree in political science. He married and raised two children, Mike and Maya. At age 27, Phil became the youngest Chief at Sagkeeng and went on to serve as Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. Throughout his political career, Phil used his leadership to expose the systemic abuses endured by Indigenous children in residential schools. He is widely recognized for his pivotal role in negotiating the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, which provided compensation to survivors and led to the creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Despite the demands of public office, Phil remained deeply connected to hockey. He played with the Sagkeeng Old Timers, members of the Canadian Old Timers Hockey Association, competing internationally from 1982 to 1988. The team won World Cup titles in Munich (1983) and Montreal (1987), as well as the COHA National Cup in 1988, and was honoured by the Hockey Hall of Fame. Today, Phil serves as Special Advisor to Ishkonigan Inc., an Indigenous consulting firm he founded. He continues to follow hockey and enjoys travelling with his wife and spending time with his children and grandchildren. <Back

< Back Gary Sargent Gary Sargent Red Lake Ojibwe Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2022 Gary played and excelled in sports at the high school, college and professional levels. At Bemidji High School in Bemidji, MN, Gary was an NCAA DI prospect in football, baseball, and hockey. He turned down an offer from the Minnesota Twins baseball team after high school graduation to pursue a career in hockey. Gary played hockey at Bemidji State College for one year. During this time Gary was named to the World Cup team and played collegiate hockey in Graz, Austria. This team won a silver medal. He was named a college All American while playing at Bemidji State College. Gary played junior hockey with the Fargo Moorhead Sugar Kings for one year before turning professional. He played in the American Hockey League before joining the Los Angeles Kings for three seasons. In 1977 Gary signed with the Minnesota North Stars and played there until his retirement from professional hockey in 1983. During his tenure with the North Stars he was selected to the NHL All Star Team twice, and played in 402 games in the NHL. <Back

< Back Edison Eskeets Edison Eskeets Navajo Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete/Builder 2023 Edison Eskeets is an enrolled member of the Navajo Tribal Nation. He attended and received diplomas from Haskell Indian Junior College, Kansas, and Bradley University, Illinois. A First Team All-American Runner, invested in Native traditional education composed with the mainstream educational school system at large. Edison taught at the Orme School, an international school, and the Native American Preparatory School serving in the following capacities: Chair of the Fine Arts, Teaching the Arts and Humanities, Coaching Track & Field and Cross Country, Academic Dean, Associate Head of School, Head of School. In addition, he served as the Executive Director on behalf of Wings of America, serving Native youth programs throughout Indian Country. Edison made every effort in making a difference within Native communities and went beyond boundaries: fundraising, grant writing, lectures, presentation of Native Arts, collaborating programs with colleges/communities, and seeking funds from government, foundations, corporations, individual donors, state funds, and tribal funds. It is vital to maintain the goodness of all indigenous societies including culture, language, ceremonies, food, and underscoring the history of the Americas, from Chile to Alaska. At one time, there were over 80 million indigenous population in the Americas and today’s count is almost 6 million. Therefore, Education, Athletics, Native programs, Higher Education, Funds, and Leadership must be nurtured. His final employment was under the Hubbell Trading Post at Ganado, Arizona operated by the Western National Parks Association. He is the first Navajo trader to manage the Hubbell Trading Post, the oldest continuously operating trading post on the Navajo reservation. This environment included education of Native arts: metal smithing, rug weaving, wood carving, painting, pottery, leather works, and trading items with fellow customers. Currently, he is promoting a new book titled “Send a Runner,” a book illustrating the history of the southwest embodied with Native traditional ultra-running. Photo Credits: Joseph Kayne and Fairfield Half Marathon (CT) <Back

< Back Charley Norris Charley Norris Red Lake Band of Ojibwe Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2026 Charley Norris was a five-time Pro Wrestling America (PWA) Heavyweight Champion. He was also a two-time PWA Tag Team Champion once with Sam Houston and the other with Derrick Dukes. He and Dukes were known as “Thunderblood” and they were the final champions since the title was later retired. He was a one-time Northern Premier Wrestling (NPW) Heavyweight Champion. Norris also was a Wrestle America 2000 Tag Team Champion. Pro Wrestling Illustrated ranked Norris #90 out of 500 wrestlers in 1993. He made his World Championship Wrestling (WCW) televised debut in 1993 and was a fan favorite while defeating Fury. He had a pay-per-view debut at the Fall Brawl event and defeated Big Sky. In 1996 Norris joined the American Wrestling Federation (AWF) and teamed with Tito Santana. He appeared in several independent cards for the next decade up to his retirement in 2006. He moved home to Red Lake, MN at that time. Additional details on Norris’ wrestling career is available on Wikipedia and matches are on YouTube. <Back